Ravens Crack Top 10 in One Defensive Position Group

The saying "football is won in the trenches" has rarely been more apparent than it is right now. After all, the Philadelphia Eagles just won a Super Bowl thanks in large part to their dominant defensive line, and other teams are naturally going to try and imitate that success.

So, it's a good thing that in a league that's further emphasizing defensive line, the Baltimore Ravens are in relatively good shape at the position.

While the Ravens don't have a true superstar along the defensive line, they have a very solid group all around. Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones hold down the interior, while Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh and rookie Mike Green are standouts on the edge, though they're technically linebackers.

Recently, Pro Football Focus' Zoltan Buday ranked the Ravens' defensive line as the 10th best in the NFL.

"Although the Ravens spent early draft picks in 2021 and 2022 to acquire edge defenders Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, neither has developed into an elite pass rusher alongside 34-year-old Kyle Van Noy," Buday wrote. "Second-round draft pick Mike Green is a dark-horse candidate to lead the unit in 2025. Michael Pierce‘s retirement will dull the team's interior impact, but Baltimore is still in a solid position there with Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones, who both ranked among the top 30 interior defenders in PFF overall grade last season."

The loss of Pierce and Brent Urban definitely left the Ravens with some questions up front, especially along the interior. However, they've added some nice depth in both free agency and the draft, so they're all set at the position.

It's worth noting that two of the Ravens' AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, ranked above them on this list, the former coming in at No. 1 and the latter at No. 7. With their own offensive line questions, they'll have to be ready for the challenge those two teams, and several others, present.